Inside Israel's Mossad: Efraim Halevy on UpFront

We speak to the ex-Mossad chief about the prospect of a two-state solution, Israeli politics and his time in the Mossad.

Last week, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon resigned, warning the country had been taken over by "dangerous and extreme elements".

Yaalon's resignation was followed by the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman, which brought about strong criticism by many who say the Israeli government is moving even further to the right.

Former Mossad director Efraim Halevy has been an outspoken critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and once said that Jewish extremism was a bigger threat to Israel than nuclear Iran.

In this week's Headliner, Mehdi Hasan asks Halevy about the country's shift to the right, his time in the Mossad, and the prospect of peace in the region.

On Lieberman's appointment, Halevy says that "the events of the last few days ... heralds the beginning of a countdown of the end of the administration of Mr Netanyahu".

The former Israeli intelligence chief says he believes there will be "no two-state solution in the foreseeable future", adding that he doubts such a solution will take place under Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership.

Halevy also reiterates that Israel should open dialogue with Hamas, revealing that some of Israel's top generals believe having Hamas in Gaza "is the best situation for Israel".

Efraim Halevy wrote the foreword for the book, War, Peace & International Relations in Islam: Muslim scholars and peace accords with Israel. The book has been published in Arabic, Hebrew and English.

More from Mehdi Hasan's interview with Halevy in which they discuss Syria and the Iran nuclear deal will be available next week at aljazeera.com/upfront .